If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

diamond-studied / chair puller ...

Dear teacher,
Would you please help me with the meanings of these phrases? (You have been a great help to me, before.) What are the meanings of “diamond-studied”, “Chair-puller” and “went all to pieces” in the following context?
Thanks,
Payam

Goethe was particularly impressed by his diamond-studied hussar’s uniform.

He was sometimes a chair-puller.

His eyes remained blue throughout his life, but the rest of him went all to pieces.

Re: diamond-studied / chair puller ...

Originally Posted by Payam

Dear teacher,
Would you please help me with the meanings of these phrases? (You have been a great help to me, before.) What are the meanings of “diamond-studied”, “Chair-puller” and “went all to pieces” in the following context?
Thanks,
Payam

Goethe was particularly impressed by his diamond-studied hussar’s uniform.

He was sometimes a chair-puller.

His eyes remained blue throughout his life, but the rest of him went all to pieces.

Re: diamond-studied / chair puller ...

Thanks for the reply. Actually in sentences No. 1 and 3, your answer in fact is quite in accordance with the impression I had and works well in the context.
Regarding the second sentence, my impression of the phrase was more toward “some body that is mischievous and likes jokes that insults people or things to that sense.”
I provide you the previous sentence and hope that helps finding a better sense to the expression:He liked bad puns and pranks. He was sometimes a chair-puller.

Re: diamond-studied / chair puller ...

Hi Payam,

now that you've given me the context for "chair - puller" I can see that you are quite right - pulling the chair away from underneath someone about to sit down is a very childish (and dangerous!) prank.